Chapter 7
Neither Elvin nor Baron Bellen dared to respond or offer advice this time. They merely lowered their heads.
The Emperor was merciful enough that, so long as no one crossed the line, they could exchange lighthearted banter with him whenever they wished.
Provided, of course, that they never crossed his line.
Kallis flicked a finger.
Understanding the signal, Elvin presented the book that had been resting on the side table.
Across its cover was written the title:
Cruel Moon.
It was Elliot Dark’s debut novel—a book that could no longer be purchased anywhere.
Gathering his courage, Baron Bellen spoke.
“I will determine Elliot Dark’s whereabouts and bring him to Your Majesty without fail.”
“I have faith in you, Baron.”
He swallowed the words If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t have assigned you the task in the first place.
There was no need to say it aloud.
The Baron already knew.
The moment Kallis opened the book and read only a few sentences, his eyelids began to grow heavy.
He forced them open with sheer will.
The newspaper reports claiming that Elliot Dark’s books had cured the Emperor’s chronic insomnia were true.
For reasons no one could explain, the moment he opened one of Elliot Dark’s novels, drowsiness overwhelmed him.
Within fifteen minutes.
Without the slightest chance to resist.
Everyone in the palace who knew of the Emperor’s insomnia welcomed this miracle.
Everyone…
Except the Emperor himself.
I have to keep reading!
For the first time in his life, the Emperor—who had spent years longing for peaceful sleep—resented his own eyelids for closing while he was reading.
It was only natural.
Among all the novels he had dismissed as frivolous entertainment throughout his life, Elliot Dark’s was the very first he had genuinely found fascinating.
He desperately wanted to ignore his growing drowsiness and continue reading.
Yet after only a few pages, he would collapse into deep sleep.
My favorite book is also the world’s most effective sleeping pill…
How many days had he spent repeating the same cycle—reading for fifteen minutes before falling asleep?
It had taken Kallis several months to finish the novel.
…Though, upon reaching the ending, he had immediately passed out and remained asleep for fourteen straight hours.
His sleep had interrupted him countless times, but if one counted only the amount he had actually read, Kallis had gone through Elliot Dark’s novel well over ten times.
He had long since memorized not only the story but entire passages.
Yet some books revealed something new every time they were read, offering a different kind of enjoyment with each revisit.
Elliot Dark’s books were exactly that kind of masterpiece.
That was why the Emperor was searching for Elliot Dark.
There were two things he desperately needed:
An entertaining novel…
And sleep.
Elliot Dark alone could provide both.
To Kallis, the mysterious author was nothing less than a savior.
Besides… the Chelling Kingdom isn’t exactly the best place for Elliot Dark to be right now.
Wouldn’t it be better to bring the author to the Empire and give him an environment where he could write comfortably?
That hadn’t been his original intention.
Still, the fact that Elliot Dark’s books had been banned and the author had fallen into trouble was, to some extent, his own doing.
If Harriet had heard his thoughts, she would have screamed at him to leave her alone.
Instead, Kallis lightly justified his selfish desire as nothing more than the devotion of a loyal fan toward his favorite author.
He had read perhaps ten pages.
Before he realized it, his heavy eyelids finally closed.
Watching Kallis fall asleep while still clutching the book against his chest, Elvin smiled helplessly.
Without waking the Emperor, he quietly draped a blanket over him.
The attendant woke him only after the sun had set.
“Your Majesty, forgive my intrusion, but it is nearly time for the banquet.”
Kallis only awoke after being called several more times.
Whenever he fell asleep reading Elliot Dark’s novels, waking up was extraordinarily difficult.
It was almost as though the words themselves carried magic that weighed down his eyelids.
“…Inform them… that I have a headache and cannot attend.”
Still half asleep, Kallis answered without even opening his eyes.
At the sight of the Emperor boldly declaring he would skip the banquet held to welcome both himself and his sister, a smile tugged at Elvin’s lips.
“Her Highness the Princess is waiting.”
“She often suffers from headaches herself. Altogether, I’ve spent over three months of my life waiting for her. Tell her that I, too, am capable of collapsing from a headache.”
“Your Majesty…”
Kallis rubbed his temples.
Oddly enough, after repeatedly saying he was tired and had a headache, it actually began to feel true.
He finally forced his heavy eyelids open.
“I can no longer tell whether I came here to rest or to work.”
“Officially, Your Majesty came to attend Her Highness’s wedding, so you certainly came to work. Though you also mentioned taking the opportunity to rest… I should point out that you’ve already enjoyed three hours of uninterrupted leisure.”
“I slept for three hours?”
“If Your Majesty wishes to vent your disappointment at finally experiencing restful sleep upon me, I suppose I must simply endure it.”
“You have quite the talent for slandering me… using nothing but facts.”
Ignoring Elvin’s humble reply of You’re too kind, Kallis finally rose from the sofa.
Elvin carefully took the book from the Emperor’s arms.
He returned it to its original place with the utmost care.
It was one of the Emperor’s most treasured possessions.
The Emperor himself could be harmed.
The book could not.
With a quiet sigh, Kallis spoke.
“Prepare me. Tell Richella I’ll be there shortly.”
“As you command.”
Displaying the dignity befitting the Emperor who ruled the greatest empire on the continent ordinarily required hours of preparation.
Kallis, however, used his headache and the fatigue of his long journey as excuses to simplify everything.
Claiming he had come in the spirit of friendship, he refused to wear his imperial uniform and instead chose a formal suit.
His hair was only lightly styled.
Simple though his appearance seemed, the fabric of his suit was a lustrous silk woven exclusively for the Emperor.
Even the cufflinks had been crafted solely for him from gemstones recently proclaimed the most beautiful in the world.
Princess Richella recognized all of that at a glance when her brother arrived to escort her.
Looping her arm through his, she whispered,
“What are you trying to do? The guest is dressed more extravagantly than the bride and groom.”
“I can’t help what I was born with.”
“You’re insufferable.”
It was an astonishingly rude way to address the Emperor of the Great Empire.
Kallis answered only with a scoff and complete indifference.
Once upon a time, this affectionate younger sister had literally pulled his hair during childhood quarrels.
Now that she had grown up, she merely attacked him with words appropriate to their respective stations.
He found the improvement almost touching.
“Mind your tongue and conduct yourself properly. Every important noble in the Chelling Kingdom is gathered here.”
“Do you really think I’m what they’re interested in? Listen to my plan. First, I’ll smile mysteriously. Then I’ll smirk so I don’t look easy to manipulate. After that, I’ll smile kindly so I don’t seem too cold. And finally? I’ll raise the corners of my lips with perfect elegance, just like a future queen.”
“So… you’re planning to keep your mouth shut.”
“Exactly.”
“Then I’ll do the same. I’ll stand beside you like a silent doll.”
The most noble brother and sister on the continent continued bickering affectionately.
The moment they entered the banquet hall, however, both of them fell silent as though they had rehearsed it.
The banquet unfolded exactly as they had expected.
“It is an honor that Your Majesty attended despite your fatigue.”
“Thank you for such a warm welcome.”
The King of the Chelling Kingdom neither humbled himself excessively nor acted discourteously.
Instead, he greeted his future wife and future brother-in-law with impeccable courtesy.
Every high-ranking noble concealed their own ambitions behind honeyed words, hiding the thorns beneath their tongues.
The imperial nobles had already blended into the crowd, exchanging polite conversation with the kingdom’s ministers.
Every word they spoke would eventually find its way back to him.
Only after the Emperor and Princess arrived did wine begin flowing throughout the hall.
Before long, they’ll all be drunk.
Some of them will make complete fools of themselves.
And once the royal family leaves, this banquet hall will become utter chaos.
Hoping none of the drunken fools would be nobles from his own Empire, Kallis took another sip of wine and calmly continued cutting into his steak.
Now and then, someone would look as though they wished to strike up a conversation with the Emperor.
Kallis smoothly ignored every one of them under the pretense of eating.
He made sure there wasn’t a single moment when his mouth was empty.
People were reluctant to interrupt someone while they were eating.
By the time he had neatly finished even his dessert and set down his fork, he had ignored nearly every attempt at conversation.
Though he spoke very little, Kallis quietly listened to every conversation around him.
“Was your journey terribly exhausting?”
“It was manageable.”
“At least our two nations aren’t terribly far apart.”
“Indeed.”
Just as she had promised earlier, Princess Richella spoke as little as possible.
Whenever someone asked her a question, she replied briefly before offering an elegant smile.
The warmth of emotion visible behind that graceful smile irritated Kallis so much that he deliberately avoided looking in her direction altogether.
The Princess and the king of the small kingdom had stubbornly fought for months to marry for love alone.
Now, simply looking at one another seemed to make them happy enough.
There was little need for conversation.
Sometimes, the glances exchanged between two people spoke far louder than words ever could.
